Eat cayenne pepper, fight bacteria with onions and avoid restroom dryers: I'll tell you how to stay healthy with these unusual remedies…

Dear Pharmacist,How can I prevent colds and flu this season?

-R.R., Dallas, Texas

Hi R.R.,Colds and flu are in full swing. If you feel encircled by an army of hostile viruses, it’s because you are.

The most important thing you can do to prevent colds and flu: Wash your hands well and often. Scrub with hot, soapy water for at least 15 seconds.

But don’t dry them with the hand dryers in public restrooms.

Several studies have found that using a hand dryer instead of paper towels actually increases the number of germs on your hands. The studies counted bacteria rather than viruses and fungus, but germs all hang together. Research has also found that the warm air from dryers helps disperse pathogens around the room.

A 2009 study found that people who used a hand dryer had 2-3 times more bacteria on their hands than before washing them. Not only that, many of the bacteria were pathogenic – the kind that can cause disease.

That’s because vents and bottoms of dryers get contaminated with regular use. The dryers are in a warm, moist place – the kind of environment bacteria, fungus and viruses need to thrive. The devices never get hot enough to kill germs, just warm enough to help them multiply.

Bottom line: It’s better to leave the restroom with wet hands than use the hand dryer.

And don’t touch the door handle on the way out. It could have been touched by people who didn’t wash their hands after changing a tampon or using the bathroom.

Dear Pharmacist,I’ve heard about lab tests you can do at home. What kinds of tests are available?

-A.T., Pasadena, Calif.

Hi A.T.,Are you worried your teen is on drugs? Do you think your spouse lied about having a drink? Are you trying to conceive a baby and want to know when you’re ovulating? You can test for all of these at home.

There are dozens of lab tests to choose from, but here are a few home-test kits that don’t require a prescription. You can find these online and at many pharmacies:

A1CNow Self Check (Bayer): This test measures your blood sugar average over 2-3 months. Get a blood sample with a finger-stick test; results are ready in five minutes.

At Home Steroid Test: This is great if you’re concerned that a loved one may be under the influence of steroids. It tests for the top 11 most-abused drugs, and results specify which steroids are present and in what concentrations. All it requires is a urine sample. Results are given in about 5 days.

Intelligender Gender Prediction Test: This can predict your baby’s gender as early as 10 weeks into the pregnancy. It requires a urine sample, and results are delivered within minutes. Reviews for this product are mixed; consider it more of a fun pre-sonogram game rather than a true medical result.

Fertile-Focus Ovulation Microscope: This saliva test predicts when a woman is most fertile and has the best chance of getting pregnant. Also, consider the OvaCue Fertility Monitor, one of the most advanced predictors available today.

Complete Cholesterol Test: This lab report includes total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins (HDL or “good”) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels. It requires a few drops of blood, which are sent to a certified laboratory for analysis. Results are mailed to you within five days.

Thyroid Test (TSH): This test measures TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) levels to determine if you have an overactive or underactive thyroid. Take a finger-stick blood sample and send it to a laboratory; results come back within a week.

At Home Drug Test (Phamatech): Remind your teen that you have his/her welfare in mind with a random test. This urine kit is sold nationwide at pharmacies and measures most drugs (including marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines) but not nicotine.

Dear Pharmacist,You’ve mentioned that cayenne pepper is healing for the stomach and can prevent ulcers. How can that be? I thought chili peppers would burn a hole in your gut.

-G.A., Alexandria, Va.

Hi G.A., Capsaicin – the heat-causing compound found in varying degrees in all chilies – would probably aggravate an existing stomach ulcer. But it can destroy the ulcer-causing H. pylori bacteria. It also may help certain cells release juices that buffer the gastrointestinal tract’s lining, which can prevent lesions from forming in the first place.

Capsaicin can also exterminate prostate cancer cells, according to a recent study at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. Researchers found that capsaicin reduced prostate tumors to one-fifth the size in mice with the disease.

One Korean study showed that melanoma cells are also vulnerable to capsaicin’s deadly charms.

Actually, the pepper’s heat doesn’t come from the seeds but from the placenta, the white-colored strips lining the inside of the pod. Tiny sacs (or vesicles) containing the hot stuff are produced there along with the seeds. These sacs tend to burst easily, spewing their hell-raising elixir onto the totally innocent seeds.

In the body, the heat-causing capsaicin numbs your sense of pain by blunting the effects of substance P, a pain-causing chemical.

Commercial capsaicin products are sold nationwide as a patch, gel, cream and roll-on. Even the powdered spice makes a great home remedy. It can even stop bleeding: Sprinkle a tiny amount of pure cayenne powder onto a bandage or gauze and apply it to the cut. Bleeding should stop within a minute.

Another good way to load up on capsaicin is to eat fresh peppers – it may also help you lose weight! The non-exercise thermogenesis (heat production) caused by ingesting peppers can cause a moderately active 38-year-old man to burn up to 600 extra calories a day, according to research. That’s nearly twice the number of calories the same man would burn during an hour-long bout of lovemaking! So next time you’re looking to add a little spice to your life, make your date eat a chili pepper.

Hi J.W.,Apples are worth eating every day, but I meant onions. This veggie can lower the risk of stomach cancer, improve breathing, fight bacteria and improve cholesterol.

Onions – and garlic – are rich in several sulfur compounds that offer protection against tumor growth, specifically in the stomach and intestines. That’s natural sulfur, which is different from the sulfa-based drugs some people are allergic to.

Moreover, the sulfur compounds in this little pharmacological powerhouse keep your blood thin and halt the growth of dangerous pathogens, including salmonella and E. coli. Peel it and purify yourself!

The Chinese rank among the largest population of onion lovers, and guess what? Their risk of stomach cancer is 40% lower than people who shy away from the bulbous beauties.

Besides breaking down certain cancer-causing compounds and reducing the body’s absorption of cholesterol, these bugs also fight fungus. For all you social types, onions provide relief from gas and flatulence. But, of course, they could also give you dragon breath.

Onions are also great for people with asthma, cough and colds, or other breathing problems. Chewing a raw onion for 2-3 minutes can kill all the bacteria in your mouth!

And that’s not all the humble onion has to offer. Rich in flavonoids, it helps reduce your risk of heart disease.

So make onions a part of your daily diet. Eat any type you like: shallots, leeks, scallions, chives, pearl, red, yellow, white or Vidalia. Juice it, sauté it or nibble it raw in salads!

Keep in mind, onions with stronger flavors and aromas are better for you because they have higher amounts of sulfur compounds, the true healers in these veggies. They also make you run from the kitchen in tears.

What’s Your Food Cures IQ?Food is medicine. That's the message from renowned nutritionist Joy Bauer. In her groundbreaking book Food Cures, she reveals the foods that manage, treat and even cure common health concerns such as arthritis, heart disease, diabetes and more. Do you have the prescription for better health? Take this food quiz with facts from Bauer's book and find out.

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